Your Employer Owes You Nothing
July 26, 2007 · Print This Article
I see many people working a normal job with the idea that if they work hard they will be rewarded for their good service. That isn’t the way it works. Your employer owes you nothing. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked at the job or how loyal you’ve been. In the end your years of service aren’t going to turn into some valuable investment that you can cash in.
Just the other day, a friend of mine was let go (along with all the other employees) at a business where he had been working for the past several years. The sad part is that, he had several offers over the past few months for jobs that he really wanted to take, but he decided to stay out of loyalty to his current company. His commitment to his employer turned out to be detrimental.
I have seen people invest their best work years at a company that suddenly decided to shut down. I’ve seen others invest 10 years helping a non-profit grow through very tough times while taking a very low salary only to be ousted by management once their 10 years of hard work were starting to pay off.
My point is this. You need to invest in something that you control if you want to benefit from the cumulative benefit of your years of work. Many people think that starting their own business is risky. It is true that many businesses fail. However, working for someone else’s business as an employee isn’t any safer. It just means you have less control over your future.
I totally agree. The employer doesn’t really owe you anything but that paycheck at the end of the week. Thats it. That’s why, if you’re employed, its best to have something you’re building for yourself on the side. Invest in something for yourself, that you control. Right on Mark.
Amen Brother - Preach that truth.
I am currently back in employee status at a company I think is great. I get to work with some excellent people, and I am paid fairly for now. I don’t have any delusions, though, that this company won’t lay me off tomorrow if it supports the “bottom line”.
Always treat every work engagement like you are self employed. Then you won’t have any blinders onto detract you from the truth everyone must face. Whether you like it or not, you are self-employed every day.
Exactly! Whenever I hear someone stressing about whether or not to leave a company for another job, and how they “feel bad” for leaving I remind them that this same company wouldn’t hesitate for one second to let them go if they were doing layoffs. Your employer doesn’t owe you anything, and you don’t owe them anything. Do your work, get a paycheck, find a better opportunity, move on, repeat.
How saddly true!
I spent 3 years killing myself and ignoring my family for a company where the MD (who is the owner) expects every employee tospend at least 60 hours at work and pays for 40. On average my days were 12 hours, some stints which lasted over 3 months were 6 days, 20 hours a day. From one day to the next I was worthless and to add insult to injury, he made my life hell rather than pay me out - his attitude shows in the 56% turnover rate in the company’s IT department.
I stayed out of some delusional sense of loyalty - never again.
Very true. I spent 6 years in the Navy, and that was a job where I owed a contract. For some reason the mentality stayed with me for a while after I got out. I got a decent job but for some reason I was convinced that I needed more money, so I took a part time job working in a liquor store. I worked there a year and I was absolutely miserable. I was 25 at the time and most of the other employees were teenagers (In New Jersey, teens can work in liquor stores). I found that I didn’t need the money but I stuck around for several months out of some twisted sense of “I owe them something”. I finally woke up one morning and realized that I owed them nothing and walked away.
When I got my current job, they wanted me to put my two week’s notice in immediately and start as soon as possible. My manager on my previous job actually told me to tell the new job that I have to stick around until they could hire somebody for me to train as a replacement. Considering that hiring cycles in that job can run six months or more, I told him I wasn’t on an enlistment contract and my two weeks notice was official as of that moment. I was polite about it, but it sure didn’t go over well… By that moment I had learned that I didn’t owe my employer anything.
Mark,
Great post. I came here through Passionate America.
People tend not to understand that when they are an employee, they are nothing but a means to an end, and that end is profit.
A business exists for one purpose - To make money. If that business hires people it is for the sole reason of helping the employer make money. If you do not make money for the business, you’re gone. If you’re not needed, you’re gone.
Period. You are nothing but a tax id # and a paycheck. If that paycheck outweighs it’s necessity, you need a new job.
I’m reading all these comments about owe and not owe. I agree with alot them. I ran across this website because I’m filling out an app. and one of the ?’s is “what do you owe your employer? Second what does your empolyer owe you?” I’m stumped, actually todays mentality of hiring is astounding. I feel it is ver much a give and take you show up do yuor job accordingly and your employer owe you you for services rendered. But I want this job so what do I say not to sound cockey? Any suggestions??
@Flora - I would say you owe your employer your best effort to help the business achieve its mission. This doesn’t mean you stay working for someone for your entire life, but it does mean that while you are there, you do your very best–just like you would if it were your own business.
Thank you, Mark. I think this was one of the toughest questions posed. I was raised old school and I have been loyal and obedient in every job I’ve ever had. Even the jobs I took on knowing they were temporary positions. Sorry I just had to throw that in there. Thinking aloud I guess. All the expectations come as second nature to me that I’m shocked employers ask such questions.